Syrian Crisis Strike Update
The US, France and UK struck three targets last night all focused on Syria’s chemical weapons capacity as well as command centers directly related to the deadly Douma attack around 4 am local time. The attacks were geared to erode some of Syria’s chemical weapons capability without collateral damage and civilian casualties. The Pentagon stated that targets included the scientific research center in the Barzeh suburb of Damascus, a chemical weapons storage facility west of Hom
Syrian Crisis Update 13th April 2018
This morning, the Russians are making the ridiculous claim that the chemical weapon attack in Douma that killed 100 people and injured 500 others was the work of a foreign power and they are pointing the finger at the UK. US President Donald Trump has been briefed on military options and has talked with allies about those options but has yet to decide. There are unconfirmed reports about a disagreement on the US response between the Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National
Syrian Crisis Update 12th April 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his government has proof that the Assad regime was behind the chemical weapon attack on Douma. France and the UK continue to ready aircraft and to position warships in the region to strike Syrian targets, and France has given advanced notice that it will target known chemical weapons facilities. The UK has reportedly directed British Tomahawk carrying Trafalgar and Astute class attack submarines to move into position to strike Sy
Syria Update 11th April 2018
This morning it was reported that Russia’s envoy to Lebanon has warned that any missiles fired at Syria by the US will be targeted and shot-down and their launchers targeted for destruction. The Russian ambassador to Lebanon was citing an earlier statement from mid-March by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Russian military. A Russian delegation of MPs is reportedly scheduled to arrive in Damascus today and they are tied to the 2-3000 Russian mercenaries fi
Syria Update The Gathering Storm
On Syria, US President, Donald Trump, yesterday promised a strong response after meeting key members of his national security team within a 24-48-hour period. France has reportedly agreed to support the US in joint-military action against Syria. In related news, the USS Donald Cook, a US destroyer, has left port in Cyprus and is sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and armed with Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles. It was just announced that President Trump’s trip to P
Kelly Induced Asia Strategic Update
My friends have been asking for a Pacific-oriented strategic update and so here goes. Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has been given a second term by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to strengthen his grip on the party, state and military establishment of China. In real terms President Xi is likely to remain Chinese leader for life. Xi is China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong and his personal goal is to leave a legacy of reunification, forced if necessary, wit
ISIS Christmas Attacks: There Are No Safe Places Anymore
The United Kingdom’s new Defense Secretary Galvin Williamson has gone on record and said that Britain and every other country that provided the Islamic State (ISIS) with foreign fighters or terrorists in Iraq and Syria should hunt them down and kill them and that they not be allowed to return home. Not coincidently, British drone strikes in Syria and Iraq have increased dramatically. This comes on the heels of the arrest of two British ISIS supporters, Naa’imur Zakariyah Rah
Beware of An ISIS Family Christmas!
On the war in Syria and Iraq, the US has just announced plans to reduce military support for groups fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) in both countries. ISIS has been largely defeated on the battlefield and lost all its major strongholds in Syria and Iraq, including its de facto capital of Raqqa in October. Earlier this month, the Iraqi border town of Rawa, the last ISIS urban stronghold in the country, was freed, indicating the collapse of the ISIS caliphate. But random atta
US Should Bring Back and Forward Deploy the Theatre-level, Nuclear-Tipped, Tomahawk Land Attack Crui
A great deal has happened since my Friday blog post entitled “The World is Sleepwalking into a Preemptive Military Strike on North Korea.” On Saturday evening, after announcing that they had deployed Hydrogen bombs or thermonuclear warheads on Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), and were ready to carry out Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attacks, North Korea set off a likely two-stage thermonuclear explosion at its Punggye-ri test facility. The yield on the underground
The World is Sleepwalking into a Preemptive Military Strike on North Korea
The world is sleepwalking into a preemptive military strike on North Korea as strategic-diplomatic options to deal with the Kim Jong-un regime and Iran narrow. North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-12 Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday for a variety of reasons. First, Pyongyang launched the missile in an operational test, to perfect its long- range ballistic missile technology and we can expect more of the same. Second, Kim Jong-un clearly wanted to
